The Technograph

The skilled hands of the musicians, the graceful movements of the dancers, and the actors’ enthralling performances all draw crowds, but they are not the only contributions to the audience’s overall experience. The costumes, sets, makeup, audio and other departments are important, but perhaps the most subtle behind the scenes work occurs in the lighting.

A show’s lighting is often taken for granted and the viewer may not make a conscious note of it; but that is precisely what makes it so special. The lighting department is able to influence the audience’s emotions and shift its focus through the use of different colors, light intensity and placement without people even noticing. According to Lisa Kidd, associate lighting director for Krannert, the department is so skilled at this that they are able to finalize the lighting many weeks before the opening night.

“Most of the lighting you see at Krannert Center is pre-programmed,” Kidd said. “For the resident productions we have a week of technical rehearsal prior to opening. During that time we will work with the directors, actors and other technical staff to program the overall look of the show.”

She added that even the touring productions program their lighting ahead of time and give this file to the Krannert staff so they can make preparations. All acts must adapt to Krannert’s capabilities, but together with the tour’s lighting directors they are able to keep it mostly true to form.

“The only time we have manually-controlled lighting would, for example, be during a live jazz concert in the Tryon Festival theater.”

These set lists are often not known until the day of the show, so the lighting department prepares by hanging lights that are suitable for the genre of music. During the performance, the lights are adjusted in order to match the present mood.

This covers the theater productions, but what about the musical acts that come to town? The work is usually simpler for these acts because many musicians only need white light in order to read their sheet music and do not require intricate lighting designs. Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert’s largest theater, is well-suited for musical performances because its ambient colored lighting is not aimed toward the stage and does not affect a musician’s vision.

Now that you know how the lighting department prepares for Krannert’s productions, be sure to see them in person.

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